Harold C Smith
University of Rochester, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics &OyaGen, USA
Biography
Harold Smith is a tenured professor of biochemistry and biophysics at theUniversity of Rochester, School of Medicine and Dentistry. Dr. Smith¹sprimary function at the University is basic research and in this contexthe is fully engaged in biomedical laboratory research as well as trainingpostdocs, graduate and undergraduate students. The Smith lab¹s primaryinterest is understanding the composition, regulation and structure ofmacromolecular complexes involved in regulating gene expression at thelevel of messenger RNA expression and processing. Our focus is on aplatform of enzymes that change the genetic code at the DNA or RNA levelby deaminating cytidine to form uridine. Current data suggest that thisfamily of cytidine deaminase function with other proteins (auxiliaryproteins) as holoenzymes complexes which we refer to as editosomes (forRNA) or mutasomes (for DNA). RNA editing or DNA mutational activity bythese enzymes affect the protein coding capacity of mRNAs and thereby candiversify the proteins that are expressed by cells (the proteome). In 2003he founded OyaGen, Inc as a drug discovery and drug development biotechfocused on anti retroviral therapeutics.
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